Brassiere



Jan. 1, 1952 E. MOILHINNEY 2,581,036

BRASSIERE Filed Nov. 6, 1947 s Sheets-Sheet 1 Inventor EVELYN MC INNEY O Attorney Jan. 1, 1952 q m 2,581,036

BRASSIERE Filed Nov. 6, 1947 3 Sheets-Sheet 2 Inventor EVELYN HcILHINNE'Y Jan. 1, 1952 5 MQILHINNEY 2,581,036

BRASSIERE Filed Nov. 6. 1947 3 Sheets-Sheet 5 Inventor EVELYN McILHI NNEY parts as shall be hereinafter Patented Jan. 1, 1952 UNITED OFFICE "This invention relates to improvements in e brassire or other foundation garment and appertains particularly to *one designed to correct the posture by drawing-the shoulders back and raising the bust and generallyenhance the car- ,riage'and appearance of the wearer.

An object of the :invention to prov'ide a rzbrassire, bandeau, corsclette or other foundation garment having supporting straps passing over'the'shoulders' with special means to draw the shoulders "back and simultaneously raise-andseprate the breasts.

Aiurth'er objecto'f theiinventionjis to provide a simple, posture-improving shoulder brace combined with a bust supporting garment, wherein the shoulder :straps of the :garment 'are adjustably laced together "at the back .to give the desired draw rto the vshoulders while Supporting the "breasts in'raised and separated position.

A further object of the invention is tOiPI'OVl'de "a brassire type :of :garment with "shoulderstraightening means, "the adjustment "of which automatically *equalizes with the 'bust-support- *ing feature to compensate for 'the-raismg and separating of the breasts incidental to "the shoulders being l-panded.

To the accomplishment oi'these "and related objects as shall become apparent asthe description proceeds, "the invention resides in the construction, combination and arrangement "of unore 'f-ull y ilescribed, illustrated in the accompanying drawings, and pointed out in the claims hereunto -drawn ba'ck the chest exappended.

The invention will beiibest understood. anti can be more clearly described when reference islhad to the drawings forming .a, part of this disclosure wherein like characters indicate vlike vparts able band;

Figure 4'is a similar view t a-rur-ther modified formwherein a stretchable insert' occursdn the body "encircling band and continues "between the breast :cuns;

Figure 5 is a modified viewofitheback or iv-a garment, similar to shown in Eigm'e *1. but.

with separate adius'tin laces =ior "the shoulder straps and body encircling band respectively;

Figure 6::is aevariation of "that "shown in Figure rhytheends nfthefbodyencircling band *bein; -releasab'ly oonnected'by ahook-and eye with one *part being on 'a stretchable member;

:Figures 7 and 8 show further modified -forms of igannentsy-the iba-cks "of the shoulder straps fbeing adjustably drawn together by a lacing through vertically "spaced loops on-confronting edges "of thetstraps and "afpair of longituflinaiiy adjustable'moss "straps, respectively; "and Figure "*9 "is *a .rear "perspective elevation of "a .icorsele'tte-type combination 1;garment, embed-ying "the;p1:es'ent'invention;with a tension adjjusting tdraw"laoe-threadedthrough ;rthe'shoulder strapsatthebaok.

"Women with rounded or stooped shoulders :andheavy, weakened or sagging breasts usua-iiy the 1 more gui'ckly'than those that "sit'zandstand erect and are possessed of generally "good posture'. "Neither back "braces to correct round shouldersinorihust uplift supports alone arcadefquatetuprccnce'a perreo'tjpos our c and-are i'lJG'DIIl- "ireguently awkward "and uncomfortable. The marked raising and separating oi'thebreasts as :the shoulders are vstraigi-itened clearly indicates the close relation between shoulder straightening and oust :support in attaining perfect pos- "turewith its'increased vitality and better health. :Moreover, the grace -'-of the remale form "is only reached "\irhen the carriage is correct, the head =and shoulders *erect and the bosom comfort'able andihig h.

the present shoulder estraightening bust Jssitnporifing invention, the garment .comprises tesxentially a ;pair. mi breast receiving cups .zor :ipocketsj .zandgi attachedrat their-lower edges 3;.bQdYfifiHGilQfi-HQ handxB anda pairvof shoulder straps 4 and 5 extending one from the top-tot each of the cups ..l sand! to the back o f the body encircling band t 3r confronting .ends 30 and 3b of .thc vband -3 terminate short .01

each otherand on roppos'itesicles of the vertical ,rned'ian and are variously "connected under "tenrs'ion. The preferred .torm of "band 3 seen in .Figuresl and r'zhas a'verticalrow of eyelets *6 'downeach end 3a and 3'0 :and includes also a triangular pleat "I, for form shaping, at ;'the centre of the .front thereof. The "breast cups J and! attaching to theband'alongtheir'lower edges are also connected to each other as at 8 :for a short distance "up iirom the band :at the front median and in vertical *line with the. apex of the pleat '1. The mm supporting straps and extending from the cups 1 and 2 and designed to pass over the shoulders of the wearer connect to the band 3 on either side of the central gap and at points spaced substantially in from the respective ends 3a and 3b of the said band. These stout shoulder straps each include a row of vertically spaced eyelets 9 running up from their juncture with the said band and a common lace i0 is threaded through both these strap eyelets 9 and the band eyelets 6 by whichthe garment is snugly and comfortably adjusted to the person of the wearer. As

shoulder straps 4 and 5 are pulled together, as"

seen in Figure l, causing the wearer's shoulders to straighten and the whole body to assume a more erect and proper posture. Co-incidental with the straightening of the shoulders, the.

raising of the bosom and the separating of the breasts that occurs is matched by a simultaneous equalizing lifting and spreading of the garments cups i and 2, produced by the added tension on the straps and permitted by the cups vertical independence of each other except for the short length of interconnection at the junction 8.

In the modified form shown in Figure 3 the cups ll and 12 attach at the bottom to the band 13 but do not connect to each other at all. Instead a horizontal stretchable member I4 extends between the cups at a distance above the band and about mid-way of their height.

In the embodiment seen' in Figure 4 the band 23 is severed in' the mid-front and a panel 24 of stretchable material is inserted that rises above the band to lie between and attach to both of the cups 2! and 22. Both these forms thus makeadded provision for the separating and/or lifting of the breasts that occur when the shoulder straps are drawn together at the back as by a lace as hereinbefore described.

Instead of using 'a'single lace to draw. the shoulder straps and'body encircling band ends together as shown in Figure 1, it may be desired to thread the lace l0 through only the eyelets 9 in the shoulder straps 4 and Fahd to employ a'second and independent lace Illa, threaded through the band eyelets 6 as "in Figure 5; to tighten the band "3. Obviously the use of two laces allowsoi the separate adjustment of each but the lacingof both the shoulder straps and body band ends together with a single one has the obvious advantage of equalizing.

The idea of separately lacing just the shoulder straps 34 and 35 together, as by an independent lace 30, is carried further in Figure 6 where the spaced ends of the body band 33 at the back are separately connected by a cooperating hookand-eye assembly 36, one part of which is on a length of stretchable material 3'1.

In Figures '7 and 8 the body bands 43 are each fastened at the back by conventional hooks and eyes but the shoulder straps 44 and 45 in the former are provided with inwardly reaching fabric loops 46 at spaced intervals from the top of the band 43 upwards and the lace 41 is threaded through these loops. A shorter lace sufilces and the threading of it is simplified. The shoulder straps 54 and 55 in Figure 8 are provided with two or more vertically spaced, transversely adjustable, horizontal straps 5B and 51. While this arrangement allows of drawing the backs of the shoulder straps 54 and 55 together in varying degrees at different levels,

it lacks too some of the advantages of the preferred design with the single equalizing lace.

The adaptation of the invention to a combination garment such as the corselette 60 shown in Figure 9 is a normal carrying forward of the basic idea, for here the upper edge 6| of the back of the garment is substantially equivalent to the body band 3 in Figure 1 and the shoulder straps 64' and B5 are similarly provided each with a vertical row of spaced eyelets 66 extending up from the top edge of the back of the garment and an adjustable lace 61 is threaded therethrough. the lace is drawn to the desired tightness, the,

Better health and greater energy mark the wearers of this combination shoulder brace and bust supporti Likewise the user is graced with enhanced appearance, better carriage and poise and the general sense of well being that accom- Mpanies proper posture.

From the foregoing description taken in connection with the accompanying drawings, it will be manifest that a brassire is provided that'will fulfill all the necessary requirements of such a device, but as many changes could be made in the above description and many apparently widely different embodiments of the invention may be constructed within the scope of th appended claims, without departing from the spirit or scope thereof, it is intended that'all matters contained in the said accompanying specification and drawings shall be interpreted as illustrative and not in a'li'mitative or restrictive sense.

'l-laving thus described the invention, what I claim as new and desirefto secure by Letters Patent is:

1. A posture-improving bust supporting garment comprising a body encircling band having spaced ends at the back thereof, a'pair of breastreceiving cups attached to said band'on opposite sides of its'front mediama pair of laterally spaced shoulder straps extending one from the top of each of said cupsitothe' back of said body bandand secured the'reto in spacedrelation to the respective ends there-of, a. row of vertically spaced eyelets each iend of said band and a row of vertically spaced-eyelets in the back of each of said shoulder straps above said band and an adjustable draw lace threaded through said eyelets in said shoulder straps and said band ends. 2. A posturcdmproving;bust supporting garment for straightening the shoulders and lifting the breasts oi the wearer, comprising a body encircling band having opposite ends spaced from each other and connectable at the back of the wearer, a pair of breast receiving pockets attached to the band along opposite sides ofits' upper portion of each of said pockets to the back of saidband and secured thereto at a point spaced laterally from the respective ends there'- of, said straps and said band being providedwith means for receiving a single fastening means, and a single fastening means connecting said straps and said band andpassing through said receiving means, the tightening of said fastening means pulling said straps together at the back and straightening the shoulders of the wearer, and simultaneously lifting the breast receiving pockets to raise the breasts" of the wearer.

3. A garment according to claim 2, wherein the fastening receiving jmeans ar'e eyelets and the fastening "means'comprises a draw lace threaded EVELYN MCILHINNEY.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date Kellogg Aug. 6, 1907 Hain Feb. 17, 1914 Perry Feb. 23, 1915 Scognamillo Aug. 30, 1918 Lafioon Feb. 1, 1944 Burke July 8, 1947 

